Orchard heater



W. C. SCHEU ORCHARD HEATER Filed May 17. 1923 May 5, 1925.

Patented May 5,- 1925."`

WILLIAM C. SCHEU, OF UPLAND, CALIFORNIA.

ORCHARD HEATER.

i Application mea nay 17, 1923. serial No. 639,608.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that WILLIAM C. SCHED, citizen of the United States, residing, at Upland, in the county of San Bernardino and State of California, has invented certain new and useful Improvements in Orchard Heaters, of which the following is a specification.

This inventionl relates to an improved orchard heater especiallydesignedfor the burning of coal, coke, charcoal, wood or a mixture of saw-dust, coal dust and an 'oil or other combustible binder.

Many orchards are located at inconvenient distances from oil supplies `suitable for the economical operation of oil burning orchard heaters, and for such orchardists, a heater embodying my invention described herein would be preferable..

' An one of the above mentioned fuels are usual y available in communities where orchard heaters are required, and as either one of the fuels may be burned interchangeably, or all together if desired, any orchard equipped with this type of heater need never be without protection for want of fuel..

Also the question of first cost is very serious with many small orchardists. Fidicient oil burning heaters are quite expensive compared to the first cost of heaters of the coal burning type, and many small orchardists who delay buying oil burning equipment may very conveniently equip with the less expensive heaters without `straining their finances.

A further advantage of the coalburning type of heater resides in the greater simplicity of operation. There are no adjustments to make after once'firing and the labor cost of' operation isthereby greatly reduced.

With such objects-in view, as well as other advantages which may be incident to*the improvements, the invention consists in the procedure, and in theA parts and combinations thereof hereinafter set forth and claimed, with the understandin that the several necessary elements constituting the samel may be varied in proportions and arrangement without departing from the nature of the invention.

In order to make the invention more clearly understood there are shown in the accompanying drawings means for carrying the same into practical effect, without limiting the improvements in their useful the applications, to the particular constructions which, for the purpose of explanation, have' been made the subJect of illustration.,

Referring now to av description of the drawings wherein like figures of reference indicate like parts in the several views.

Figure l is a vertical sectional elevation of my improved orchard heater taken on line 1-1 of Figure 2.

Figure 2 is a plan of the baseA only of,

Fig. 1. l

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional elevation of a modified form of the base portion taken on line 3-3 of Figure 4.

Figure 4 is a plan only of the base portion of Figure 3. 'y

Figure 5 is a vertical sectional elevation similar to Fig. 1 but with the burning conditions reversed, the body of fuel being in the center andthe draft on the side.

The general construction of my improved vheater comprises av base member 1, of peculiar and 'special construction, mounted on suitable feet in the same manner as ordinary stoves. rlhis base member is made up of outer and inner concentric cylindrical portions, 2 and 8. Mounted on the outer cylindrical portion 2 is drum member 4, and on the inner cylindrical member is a draft ue 5. A cover 6 rests on the `top of the drum member 4 and lis .provided with a central aperture 7 through which the draft ue 5 extends. A `cap 8 serves as a cover to the draft flue when the heater is out of operation. The base member 1 is provided with.

grate openings 9 and draft openings 10 and with a central depressed cup shaped portion 11. l Y

The modification of Figure 3 rests entirel in the structureof the base portion of eater. In this instance the base member l has a solid. bottom 12, with draft openings 13 arranged around the outer cylindrical portion 2. In'this View the cover 6 and the cap 8 have been omitted. Figure 1 illustrates the heater set up for operation except that the cap 8 is laid to one side. With the side draft openings 13, which also serve as va ate to admit air for proper. combustion, 1t is desirable thata le ge 14, or similar device be provided to assist in shedding rain.

.In order to operate this type of heater the following procedure is usually followed. The cover is removed so that the. top of the drum 4 is open as in Figure 3. Any one of the fuels mentioned is then placed into the space provided by the drum 4 and the Hue 5. For illustration I have shown coal or coke as at 15. A mixture of kerosene and gasolene or other suitable combustible material is placed in the lighting chamber 11 and fired. The burning of this easily ignitable fuel will quickly start combustion in the bed of coal or coke adjacent the openings 10 or 13 and by the time the priming fire is burned out the main fire will be well started and will continue to burn in the annular recess 16 formed by the walls 2 and 3 of the base member 1. Before the priming fire is started the cover 6 is placed on the heater as in Figure 1; this cutsoif all draft up through the body of fuel and localizes the burning in the base member 1. As the fuel is consumed adjacent the openings 9 and 1() or 10 and 13, the magazine of fuel carried by the drum 4 and the Hue 5 gradually feeds by gravity until the entire amount is consumed. This manner of combustion control enables the maintenance of a uniform fire and a uniform distribution of heat by a battery of distributed heaters throughout an orchard, so that if the same amount and kind of fuel is supplied to each heater they will all burn for the same length of time and thereby provide a very reliable and uniform method of heat distribution.

If it becomes desirable to extinguish the fires before all'of the fuel is consumed it is simply necessary to place the caps 8 on the tops of the Hues which stops the draft and the fires will die naturally.

I have indicated by arrows the direction of the draft through the heater when in operation, it being understood that the cover v6 is practically an air tight fit on the. top of the fuel magazlne.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A device of the character described comprising a base member having an annular recess and a central chamber formed by walls integral with said base member, two of the said walls forming said annular recess being provided with draft openings, an outer member rising from the outer wall of said recess and an inner member-rising from the inner wall of said recess whereby a magazine is formed for maintaining a supply of fuel therein, and a cover for said magazine having a central opening through which said inner member extends and a separable cap for covering said inner member.

2. A devlce'for burning solid fuel comprising a base member having vertical walls forming a combustion chamber, draft openings in said walls, additional walls connecting with said first mentioned vertical walls forming a fuel magazine and a central, vertical Hue, and a cover for said magazine :assaeea whereby the products of combustion are carried through said draft openings into said central vertical Hue and discharged into the atmosphere.

3. A device for burning solid fuel comprising a cast member having concentrically arranged walls forming a combustion chamber and a preliminary ignition chamber, draft openings in the walls of said cast member, sheet metal walls connecting with the walls of said cast member and arranged to form a fuel magazine, and a central Hue, and a cover for said magazine to prevent a draft through the fuel in said magazine but permitting an unrestricted draft through said central Hue whereby combustion is con- Hned to said combustion chamber and fuel is fed to said combustion chamber from said magazine as fast as consumption takes place.

4. A device for burning solid fuel comprising a cast member having two vertically disposed concentric walls forming a combustion chamber and a preliminary ignition chamber, draft openings in the walls forming said combustion chamber and connecting with said ignition chamber, sheet metal walls connecting with said walls of said cast member and concentrically arranged to form a fuel magazine and a central draft 5 Hue, and a cover for said fuel magazine to prevent draft through the fuel therein whereby combustion is confined to said combustion chamber during the entire period of operation, and the fuel contained in said lo@ magazine is burned from the bottom only until the entire charge is consumed, the products of combustion passing through the said central draft Hue.-

5. An orchard heater for burning coal, coke, charcoal, or a mixture of saw dust, coal dust and a binder, comprising an easily portable stove having a combustion chamber, a preliminary ignition chamber, a fuel -magazine and a Hue having draft openings connecting said combustion chamber with said Hue, said combustion chamber comprising a space directly under the body of fuel in said magazine and the draft openings arranged around said combustion chamber permitting the products of combustion to be carried laterally to said Hue and be discharged vertically into the atmosphere.

6. An orchard heater adapted for burning a solid fuel comprisingl an easily portable device having a base member provided with upstanding concentrically arranged walls forming a combustion chamber and an ignition chamber, a magazine chamber occupying a space directly above said combustion chamber and a central draft Hue occupying a space directly above said ignition chamberv with draft openings connecting said combustion chamber and said ignition chamber, and a cover completely enclosing the top l Cil opening of said magazine chamber to cut off all draft therethrough and confine all combustion to said combustion chamber, v

7. An orchard heater for burning a solid fuel such as coal, coke, charcoal, briquettes etc., comprising an easily portable stove having a compartment for fuel, a draft chimney adapted to pass vertically through a body of fuel and being separated therefrom by an imperforate wall, draft openings adjacent the lower end of said chimney pro- -viding passage for the products of combustion as fuel 1s being consumed in said fuel compartment, and a cover sealing said fuel` compartment whereby combustion is confined to the area adjacent the draft openings and the main body of fuel is thereby kept from ignition, the fuel in said heatery being consumed from the under side only.

8. An orchard heater comprising an easily portable stove adapted to burn a solid or semi-solid fuel comprising a fuel compartment having a vented area Where the said fuel is consumed, a chimney connected with the said vented area of said fuel compartment whereby the products of combustion are discharged, and a cover for said fuel compartment whereby the burning of the fuel is confined to said vented area, and the upper body of fuel is kept from ignition.

9. An orchard heater comprising an easily 'portable stove adapted to burn a solid or semi-solid fuel comprising a fuel compartlnent, Within which the consumption of fuel is confined, a draft compartment connected with said fuel compartment and acting as a chimney for carrying away the products of combustion, and a cover sealing said fuel com artrnent and thereby confining the combustion to saidvented larea and shutting off all draft through the said body -of fuel in said fuel compartment whereby the draft is g'iven a lateral direction as it passes into the said chimney.

In testimony whereof I aix my signature.

WILLIAM C. SCHEU. 

